aquarium of the pacific

robby had last friday off (3/21/08), so we decided to join some friends at the aquarium of the pacific. robby and aidan both love fish, so we figured it would be a perfect family outing. the day started off kinda rocky, but it was worth it. so much fun!! (sorry i haven't posted all week, my sister was in town and we were playing playing playing all week, now we're sick sick sick! thank you scott for passing that along to us!!)oh, and check out those shoes, this was the FIRST time we've ever put shoes on the kid. he's usually barefoot or just weaing socks. it took him a bit to get used to them. after i put them on he sat there for five minutes trying to get them off, then he refused to stand up and would only crawl. after about 20 minutes he was walking all over and it hasn't slowed him down a bit!!

they had an outside play area which also features a squirting thing which SOAKED aidan! (dontcha just love his little fauxhawk!) so he got spoiled and we bought him a new shirt so he wouldn't be freezing the rest of the day (unfortunately his camo shirt somehow fell out of our diaperbag and is now lost forver -- sad day! i loved him in that outfit and he had only worn it twice!!) oh well!

here he is giving the puffin some kisses, awww!

first time ever on daddy's shoulders while watching the sea otters playing! he loved it!!

he also got spoiled with a new stuffed shark, which he absoluely adores!!

back at home, chillin' with daddy after having a fun day at the aquarium!

lost - meet kevin johnson - 4.08

you can read one of my favorite theories here, even more is added on here.
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or check out dark ufo's things noticed in meet kevin johnson!
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or check out the official lost podcasts!!

happy keester!!

enjoy the holiday!!! enjoy the eggs!!! enjoy the family!!!
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oh and for the complete story of where easter eggs and jelly beans come from please go visit jen!!

answers on digital scrapbooking - UPDATED

thank you for all of your nice comments on my first foray into scrapbooking. a lot of the comments had questions, so here i will answer all of you!

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for the actual editing program i used photoshop elements 4. (way less expensive than photoshop ... you can get photoshop elements 6 for $100). but you could use any graphics editing program that you prefer. (nikki ... see another use for your photoshop elements that you've boycotted!!)

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for all of the page elements (background design and embellishments) i downloaded them from http://www.epsoncreativezone.com/ (everything was free). there are also a bunch of other sites out there were you can download things for digital scrapbooking. i haven't tried any others, but i'm just starting out!

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overall i thought it was SUPER easy to do (but i am fairly computer efficient and know my way around photoshop). the first page probably took me about an hour and a half (although i was talking and wasn't focused) the second page probably only took me 20 minutes. the thing that took the longest was trying to decide what pictures to scrap (which i'm sure applies to regular scrappin' as well) and deciding what to download and what to use! you could get caught up downloading everything ... because, well ... it's FREE!! plus it's all mostly super cute!! i loved it and will continue doing my scrappin' digitally. any other questions that i missed or didn't answer thoroughly enough? just ask and i'll update the post!

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here's another page, i created it while hanging with my son ... enjoy! it took about 30 minutes, it probably would have gone faster if aidan would have stopped bugging me!! all of the papers can be downloaded here. i really like the layout, not sure if those are my fave pictures on it, but i can always go back and change that easy!!

my favorite site to download free fonts is http://www.dafont.com/ ... i love it! they have TONS of fonts in a bunch of different styles. i could spend hours on there looking for fonts.

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for more information, i recommend taking this free online "getting started with digital scrapbooking" course.

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april recommends:
http://www.scrapblog.com/
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radel recommends these sites:
ikeagoddess.blogspot.com
simplyyin.blogspot.com and
mistycatodesigns.blogspot.com
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lisa recommends these sites:
http://www.digitalscrapbookplace.com/
http://www.scrapartist.com/
http://www.digiscrappin.biz/
http://www.scrappersguide.com/
http://www.scrapbookgraphics.com/
http://www.cottagearts.net/
www.misprintedtype.com/v3 (cool fonts)

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okay ... here's my answer to kerstin's question regarding printing. i haven't printed any of my designs yet. but i plan to, that is why the 2nd and 3rd designs were 8.5x11 instead of 12x12 (as i don't have a wide format printer). i LOVE my printer, you can read all about how awesome it is here. it's designed to print pictures and has a paper tray just for 4x6. i LOVE it. it prints borderless as well, after i print some i'll take some pictures and post.

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i don't know how i would go about printing if i wasn't planning on printing at home. maybe kinkos (.49 cent color copies)? or somewhere like snapfish (2.99 for an 8x10)? i guess i would have to look into it and compare the differences. didn't you just get a new printer, have you tried printing your layouts? i guess it would depend on the quality, etc. but i figure printing would cost less than actual scrapbooking anyways when you add it all up (paper [.60 cents], plus all the embellishments, ribbons, rub-ons ... etc.)

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sorry i don't know if that was very helpful!

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EDIT:

DirtCheapDigiScrap

DigiScrapbooking

Two Peas in a Bucket

lost - yi jeon - 4.07

obviously, the big trick of this episode was how they told the story, with the blending of flashbacks and flashforwards. at first i thought jin was trying to get to sun, but by mid-episode i was worried! i'm betting this isn't the last time they'll try this trick on us. so stay on your toes people!
http://www.powells.com/blog/?p=3041

http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/03/things-i-noticed-ji-yeon-by-vozzek69.html

http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/03/life-after-death-by-luhks.html

http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/03/your-karma-hit-my-dogma-by-fishbiscuit.html

http://losteastereggs.blogspot.com/2008/03/jins-tombstone-and-date-of-death-9-22.html

http://getlostpodcast.com/2008/03/14/lost-episode-407-ji-yeon--screencap-recap.aspx

http://getlostpodcast.com/2008/03/14/lost-episode-407--ji-yeon-easter-eggs--screencaps.aspx

http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/2008/03/good-and-lost.html

scrappin' -- UPDATED

my sister has been trying to get me scrappin' for a LONG time. last night some of the girls from my ward were having a scrapbooking night so i decided to finally take the plunge and try it out. i'm more comfortable on the computer (i think) so i toted along my laptop and figured i'd try my hand at scrappin'. so here you go! my first ever scrapbook page. i would have done more, but my battery was starting to die and i didn't want to move away from the fun to plug it in. (next time i'll remember to bring an extension cord). i had a BLAST. what a fun way to get to know the girls in my ward better than chilling for 4 hours and creating some "life art" -- which is what nicole calls it.

so there you go ... its not the best. (actually it doesn't even have any of my favorite photos!) but it's only my first and i'll get better with more practice. nicole is coming up at the end of the month and she wants to scrap, i'm actually looking forward to it now!

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oh and if you want to see some of my sister's work, she has a couple of her layouts on her blog, she also posted her process recently, which i found fascinating!! you can read her other posts on life art as well. LOVE ya sis!!

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here is attempt number 2, any better?? i think it looks less cluttered, still not completely happy with it ... but i know if i keep messing with it i'll just make it worse!!

well rested

i did something today that i've NEVER done. i feel horrible about, but it most definitely was not on purpose.

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i laid aidan down for his nap at 10:00 and i laid down to try to get a little rest in as well. nothing out of the normal there. i'm a super super light sleeper and the only way i get any sleep is by using earplugs and an eyemask.

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well i woke up and was feeling really well rested. i lifted off my eyemask and checked the clock ... 1 pm! what the heck? so i roll over and look at the baby monitor. the lights were flashing, but there wasn't any sound!!! so i rip off my eyemask and take out my earplugs and run into aidan's room. the instant i enter the room he stopped crying and never cried once after i went in and picked him up.

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i know before i laid down i looked at the monitor and the light was on so i figured the volume control was where it was from this morning. the difference is, robby worked late last night and went into work later than usual. he had turned down the volume on the monitor (but didn't turn it off). i didn't check the volume, i just saw the light and figured all was well.

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i feel HORRIBLE, but i know i didn't do it on purpose. the thing that is bugging me the most is i don't know how long he was crying for! i hope it wasn't for long, but he hasn't been the best napper lately.

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needless to say i'll be checking the volume more carefully from now on. i also talked to robby and told him that if he does mess with the monitor to just turn it completely off so i notice that something is different!!

(this is a picture from january, but he's so cute when he's asleep!)

pregnancy update

so, everyone keeps asking me how i'm doing and how i'm feeling, etc. so here you go!

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so far, so good. i haven't felt sick that much and have only barfed twice (once after speed walking a mile, while already not feeling so great -- not a good idea anyways (sorry kristi, one of these days i'll do it again!!); and once right after taking care of a barfing aidan)

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i feel a little sick in the morning right when i wake up, but it usually goes away pretty fast once i start waking up. and sometimes i feel a little sick at night.

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the thing that is driving me CRAZY is that my whole entire body itches. seriously, i rememeber being itchy when i was pregnant with aidan, but i don't rememeber it starting this soon. its really starting to bug me!

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i've been having hot flashes, yikes!! i had these with aidan as well, so i was expecting them!

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and so far i've actually LOST 4 pounds! hehe, which gives me full rights to eat this for dessert tonight!! (yum, a sliced banana, topped with 2 scoops of vanilla and covered in caramel syrup -- working at baskin robbins for 4 years has its benefits, i can still scoop up some yummy ice cream treats!!) you know you want some, i know i want more!!! this is my favorite part of being pregnant!

(if that was too much information for you, SORRY!!) come over and i'll scoop you some ice cream and make it up to you!

lost - the other woman - 4.06

overall, not my fave episode in this season, centered on juliet's story, but i felt we learned the most about ben. stunning performance.

http://getlostpodcast.com/2008/03/06/lost-episode-406--the-other-woman-screencap-recap.aspx

http://darkufo.blogspot.com/2008/03/things-i-noticed-other-woman-by.html

http://www.docarzt.com/lost-recaps/lost-recap-406-the-other-woman.php

http://www.docarzt.com/lost-thoery-lost-in-the-tempes.php

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bTvAUVPyLI

i've heard coflicting things, people talking about ben using harper to get his message out (you know from the cell locke is keeping him in), or harper being a figment from the black smoke monster (you all know what i'm talking about). i'm leaning towards harper not actually being real, it seemed so eerie. plus those dang wispers always come around when the smoke monster shows up!!

lost - the constant - 4.05

ok ... i totally stole this image and notes from a friend's blog, what an interesting idea!!

OK as you can see there are three objects depicted, the Island, Ship and Barrier. Now I have arranged them as I see them in my head, as a barrier around the island seperating the ship from it. I believe the following:
-The time is actually the same both on and off the island, represented by the real time radio transmissions that take place over the phones.
-The time difference observed by both the inbound rocket and outbound helicopter is actually caused by the crossing of this barrier.
-The crossing of the barrier is unnoticeable to those who cross it, but actually takes hours/days in real time.
-The helicopter took a day to cross, the rocket took 30mins. This time frame may be relative to the speeds at which they impact the barrier.
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check out what paul levinson has to say about the episode, it's very interesting - mostly about desmond time traveling.

or check out this little lesson on physics and theories on time travel ... blows my mind! plus he mentions ender's game, actually children of the mind if we want to get specific and brings up faster-than-light-travel. i love that aspect of the book. such an interesting idea!

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ok, and go read this screencap, i love how he parallels homer's "odyssey" of odysseus and penelope with the story of desmond and penny

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"It might not be that every person needs a Constant. Maybe it's only people who have been subjected to emf radiation and who then come into contact with freaky time shield barriers around mystery islands who need Constants. But probably not. The power of this myth is that we all need a Constant, a person or an activity or even just an idea that means so much to us that it can keep our minds from falling through any unexpected "tear in the fabric in the space time continuum." The Constant that we need to avert this disaster is the magical healing power of Hope."

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"This was as close to a perfect episode of Lost as we could hope for. It was tight. It made sense within the parameters of the fantasy we've signed up for. The acting was art. There was one particular moment of perfect grace. 2004 Desmond suddenly is reunited with his own self in the instant that he hears Penny's voice. In that same instant, 1996 Desmond smiles, knowing that the message he worked so hard to carry had landed, that Penny remembered. In that one moment, both moments in time united and became the same moment, folding along the same wrinkle in time." -- from the above screencap link.

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ok, i'm done, i cannot read anymore recaps! but the last link i posted and quoted from was excellent and i HIGHLY recommend it (nikki, tell tj he needs to read this) i can't wait for the next episode tomorrow, love love love LOST!

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oh and aidan didn't throw up at all today, HUZZAH!!!!

ah, the joys of being a mother!

ok people. sorry i haven't posted in awhile. i was trying to be better, and then sunday happened! everything was fine, church was great. we came home and aidan went down for his nap. at 3:00 he woke up and then promptly barfed all over his crib and daddy! it never stopped, between 3 and 6:45 he barfed 8 times. 8 TIMES people!!!! in less than 4 hours!

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so then monday rolled around, and it seemed like it was over. he was super cuddly and whine-y but all of his food was staying down. he went to bed around 7:20 and life was good. i sent out emails telling people he was feeling better. i heard him kinda fussing around 9 and went in to check on him. i put his pacifier in and went to lay him down and then i smelled it! AHHHH more barf. so i picked him up and got robby to help me, we calmed him down and cleaned him and his crib up. daddy changed him while i started yet another load of barf soaked laundry. i lay him back down in his crib and he sits up and barfs all over the blankets we had just put over him. (luckily not on himself) so i grabbed the blankets and shoved those in the load i had just started. finally settled aidan back down and asleep. sheesh! then i hit the sack, because i was TIRED!

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so then tuesday rolled around. today is the day. it has to be over. then he woke up from his nap and threw up all over me. joyous!! he threw up a total of 4 times today ... me only once (so far only 2 times total for this pregnancy). all of them were pretty bad and most of them were on me. (it seems he likes to cuddle right before he barfs!) needless to say aidan is tired, i'm tired and our washing machine and dryer and dang tired!! aidan is asleep, hopefully for the night. and i'm off to go find something to eat. i'm starving!!!

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wish me luck tomorrow, hopefully whatever he had has passed. i don't think i can handle 1 more day of barf.

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the funny thing is my sister was in town this past weekend and we were sitting in my mom's kitchen along with our friend rachel and i was telling (maybe bragging?) that aidan had never thrown up yet. oh man did i speak too soon!!! heavenly father is teaching me humility and patience and trying to test my gag reflex!!